DHS Scraps 100,000-Bed Migrant Warehouse Plan, Keeps Using Existing Jails
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 18
DHS Scraps 100,000-Bed Migrant Warehouse Plan, Keeps Using Existing Jails
2 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 18
Summary
DHS has abandoned a plan to convert empty warehouses into immigration detention centers and will continue relying mainly on existing jails run by private contractors and state and local partners.
Nearly 100,000 beds were envisioned under the government-owned network, with some sites expected to begin operating later this year, making the reversal a major rollback of the detention expansion.
Kristi Noem had championed the warehouse strategy as a signature immigration initiative, and the retreat marks a sharp break from that approach.
Seven warehouses bought for more than $700 million are already set to be transferred or sold after ICE acquired 11 facilities for about $1 billion under the earlier expansion push.